The Miami Heat are moving on, as the Boston Celtics could not be the first team to come back in a series after trailing 0-3. The HEAT routed the Celtics on their home court in Game 7 to a final score of 103-84.
The HEAT is now the second eight-seed all-time to make the NBA Finals, following the 1999 New York Knicks. The win comes a year after the HEAT fell to the Celtics in Game 7 in last year’s conference finals, which Butler believed then this year’s win would happen.
To close out the HEAT, Butler had 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. He received assistance from Caleb Martin, who added 26 points and 10 rebounds, going 11-for-16 from the field.
“I just know why Coach Pat and Coach Spoelstra wanted me to be here,” Butler said. “And that’s to compete at a high level and to win championships.
“I know that the group that they put around me at all times is going to give me an opportunity to do so. … I know the work that we all put into it, so I know what we’re capable of. Nobody is satisfied. We haven’t done anything. We don’t play just to win the Eastern Conference; we play to win the whole thing.”
On the other end of the court, Celtics swingman Jayson Tatum turned his ankle on the game’s opening play, limiting his ability to play and be effective comfortably. Finishing with 14 points, Tatum referred to his play as “a shell of myself.”
Tatum added, “It was tough to move. Just frustrating, it happening on the first play.”
The HEAT now heads into the NBA Finals against the Western Conference Champion Denver Nuggets. The series will begin on Thursday.
